twilight2000fandomcom-20200213-history
FN FAL Battle Rifle
The Fusil Automatique Léger (Light Automatic Rifle) or FAL is a 7.62x51 NATO self-loading, (with exceptions) selective fire rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Nationale de Herstal (FN) during the Cold War, and adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries. It has also been adopted by many other nations for their armed forces and has proven to be a popular civilian rifle for hunting and sport shooting. The FN FAL was also produced under license in many of the adopting countries. Because of its prevalence and widespread use among the armed forces of many Western and other non-Communist countries during the Cold War, it was nicknamed "the right arm of the Free World". FN created what is possibly the classic post-war battle rifle. Formally introduced by its designers Dieudonne Saive and Ernest Vervier in 1951, and produced two years later, it has been described as the "right arm of the Free World." The FAL battle rifle has its Warsaw Pact counterpart in the AK-47, each being fielded by dozens of countries and produced in many of them. A few, such as Israel and South Africa, manufactured and issued both designs at various times. Unlike the Russian AK-47 assault rifle, the FAL utilized a heavier full-power rifle cartridge. In the West, FAL's primary competitor was the German Heckler & Koch G3. L1A1 SLR The L1A1 Self Loading Rifle (SLR) was the British military's main service rifle prior to the introduction of the L85A1 SA80. It remained in use with many support units and Territorial Army units well into the 1990s. The L1A1 Self Loading Rifle (SLR) was introduced in 1957 as a licenced version of the Belgian FN-FAL. Production was conducted at three locations: Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield; Birmingham Small Arms (BSA); and Royal Ordnance Factory, Fazakerley. Early SLR production featured wooden furniture, but later models had synthetic furniture and these are most commonly encountered. The British rifle was manufactured as semi-automatic only, which was different to the selective-fire Belgian model. Other changes included a folding cocking handle, a folding rear sight, and sand-clearing modifications. The SLR could be fitted with the L2A1 "Sight Unit, Infantry, Trilux" (SUIT) 4x magnification scope. SLR Folklore *The SLR was considered by many to be "squaddy proof" and was regarded as a solid, reliable rifle. It's 7.62x51mm ammunition was regarded as a "man stopper" and the weight of the rifle itself could be used to "butt stroke" a recalcitrant enemy. *It was known for some soldiers to interfere with the SLR's mechanism to achieve automatic fire ("the matchstick trick"), but this contrary to safe practice and would incur the wrath of God. Canny GMs should introduce an angry SNCO NPC to ensure that Players do not abuse their weapons. *It was technically possible to use a 30RD LMG (Bren) magazine on the SLR instead of the standard 20RD magazine, but LMG magazines were designed for gravity-assisted downward feed and were therefore unreliable when used on the SLR. Canny GMs could use an angry SNCO to enforce good practice, or adjust the chances of stoppages for a Player's rifle using LMG magazines. *It should also be noted that British SLRs (as well as the Canadian and Australian equivalents) were "inch pattern" designs, as opposed to the "metric" pattern used by the original Belgian FALs and most other versions of the weapon. The primary difference is that "inch" magazines will not seat properly in "metric" rifles, and, while "metric" magazines can be used with "inch" rifles, there may be an increased likelihood of failure to feed due to sloppy fit. In the long term, a gunsmith with welding and/or metal cutting equipment should be able to modify magazines in either direction to ensure propery function, but this can be an issue with "battle field pick ups" and the like. Also most parts of the two versions are not interchangable, which could complicate attempts to repair broken weapons, etc. 3rd Edition Stats Category:Rifle Category:Equipment/Twilight 2000 1st EditionCategory:Equipment/Twilight 2000 3rd Edition